Recessed lighting is used in millions of homes, offices and other buildings throughout the United States and the world. Such lights used fixtures which are mounted behind a boundary of a room (typically above the ceiling), with an opening in the boundary allowing light to emanate from the light source in the fixture to the room.
Recessed can lights are one type of recessed lighting which is widely used, both for area and spotlights. Can lights typically include a housing or can which is mounted around a socket for a suitable light bulb which is electrically wired to a light switch for turning the light off and on. Depending on the desired effect, the can may be reflective to maximize the amount of light emitted from the fixture. Such cans typically include a cylindrical opening, and are mounted to cross braces or studs behind the boundary (e.g., ceiling), with the cylindrical cans generally positioned behind a generally matching round opening in the room boundary. In new and/or retrofit installations, an installer may gain access behind the boundary through the opening for suitable mounting and wiring, after which the can may be inserted through the slightly larger boundary opening and suitably fixed to the mounting structure whereby its cylindrical opening is generally concentric with the round opening or hole in the boundary.
Of course, it is as a practical matter virtually impossible to precisely align the can so that, when mounted, there is no space between the can and the boundary opening. This is true not only because it is difficult to precisely cut an exact round shape for the boundary opening, but also because precise lines are just generally difficult to cut in materials such as plasterboard or drywall which commonly are used to define the boundary. Moreover, not only are such cuts difficult, particularly when the craftsman has to reach up and make the cut overhead in a ceiling, but such materials are of a type which may have small pieces break off when making the cuts, leaving uneven edges.
As a result, to provide an aesthetically pleasing fixture, ring shaped trim pieces have often been used, where the trim is secured to the lip of the can and extends outwardly to cover the unavoidable gap and provide a clean visible outer edge which is essentially perfectly circular. In some installations, however, the desired aesthetic design of the room is such that it is desired to have the recessed light appear integral with the boundary, without any such trim pieces. In those cases, the installer is required to plaster (commonly called spackle or “mud”) the gap between the light can and the boundary opening. However, it should be appreciated that such spackling is difficult to accomplish cleanly, given that it must go right up to the lip of the can, and moreover is highly susceptible to undesirably cracking or shrinking and leaving an unacceptable gap when the plaster dries.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.